Panning analysis software - why not?

[guy1]

Hi all,

I've always had problems trying to place close-miced drums/hi-hat in the same panning position as they appear in the overheads. Listening in solo and panning a tom, for example, exactly where it appears in the overheads is never, it seems to me, an exact science, although when you get it right it sounds fantastic. Panning the tom until it feels reinforced in the overheads is one thing but couldn't some software be available that analyses the exact panning positions of drum instruments within the stero field on the overheads and give them as exact left/right measurements i.e. tom1 13 right (from listeners' perspective), tom2 17 left and tom3 28 left?

I'm curious about whether this would be possible within a future plug-in and also about any tricks and tips you guys might have beyond what I said above.

Thanks.

[loujudson]

Best trick of all: Use your ears! That is what recording is all about - the art and science. This is why some people are better at it than others, they know how to listen.

You can also pan according the the visual too... it isn't difficult!

<L>

[bgrotto]

Try inverting the polarity of the tom track, panning it to roughly where you think it should go, and sweep it back and forth listening against the overheads for the place it cancels most. That's the best you'll get.

Also, if you're a snare-down-the-center kinda guy, make sure you track your OHs with the snare in the center. Measuring from the drum to each mic helps. Then flip one channel, listen in mono, and fiddle with the gain of the pres till the snare disappears.

Oh, I just remembered: even though panning the toms to reinforce themselves against OHs sounds really good, sometimes it leaves a bit to be desired in terms of width. Especially with the rack tom. I often find that there's a place panned out pretty hard that will yield similar cancellation/reinforcement if you use the "trick" I described above.

[amishsixstringe]

Originally Posted by bgrotto

Try inverting the polarity of the tom track, panning it to roughly where you think it should go, and sweep it back and forth listening against the overheads for the place it cancels most. That's the best you'll get.

Also, if you're a snare-down-the-center kinda guy, make sure you track your OHs with the snare in the center. Measuring from the drum to each mic helps. Then flip one channel, listen in mono, and fiddle with the gain of the pres till the snare disappears.

Oh, I just remembered: even though panning the toms to reinforce themselves against OHs sounds really good, sometimes it leaves a bit to be desired in terms of width. Especially with the rack tom. I often find that there's a place panned out pretty hard that will yield similar cancellation/reinforcement if you use the "trick" I described above.

What if you flip the polarity of the tom and you move it around and it sounds better? I mean, i get what you mean, but I have always used this method...

Solo the overheads and the tom mic. Pull the tom fader all the way off. Pan it around where it should be, then push the fader up a little bit at a time and listen to see if the sound moves left to right as the close mic gets louder. If so, made adjustments and try again. Works for hats too.

Neil

[psycho_monkey]

I read this in that "secret of the mix engineers" book...haven't had a chance to try it yet.

One of the names interviewed suggested panning in mono - setting the width of your OHs, then monoing the feed and panning. hopefully, when it's in the right position, it'll reinforce the OH sound and you'll get a level jump/tone match.

In theory.

[bgrotto]

Originally Posted by amishsixstringe

What if you flip the polarity of the tom and you move it around and it sounds better? I mean, i get what you mean, but I have always used this method...

Happens all the time.

I shoulda added a disclaimer to my first post: I almost NEVER pan the toms where they appear in the OHs. The rack tom's usually too close to center; I prefer it at at least 9 or 10 o'clock. Sometimes wider if I'm using a lotta room mics that are pulling the imaging in.